In June 2021 the FBIP profiled Brian du Preez, who is currently completing his PhD at the University of Cape Town.

Brian received postgraduate funding from the FBIP programme.

A recent post on Brian’s Facebook page details a breakthrough not only for his PhD journey but also for botanical science…

“Today was a milestone day! After two unsuccessful, near-death attempts to collect this species, I took a chance at a new site and found a population in full flower. This little beauty is Indigofera vlokii, an undescribed species endemic to the Kouga Mountains. It has only ever been collected by three botanists, of which I am one. The mountains are very expansive, rough, and generally inaccessible, and this one only grows on the high peaks. This was the last species that I needed to collect for my PhD, now I can finish writing up with a smile on my face. Also took a few seedlings to start an ex-situ population at the Stellenbosch University Botanical Garden.”

We wish Brian all the best with the final leg of his PhD dissertation!